So you’ve finally done it. You’ve made the decision to become a VA. After dreaming about it for months (or even years), you’ve committed to creating freedom and ditching the 9-5 life as a virtual assistant.
It’s just the excitement has started to wear off and you’re left wondering how to get your first client. I know that figuring out how to get your first clients on the books can feel overwhelming. That’s why I’ve written this article breaking it down and giving you direction for how to start making money in your business.
Finding Your Place in the Virtual Assistant Market
To land a client, you need to know exactly what you offer and why that matters to the VA clients you want to work with. There is a high demand for virtual assistants with the rise of the gig economy and small online businesses in the past few years. You just need to help those businesses to choose you because not everyone understands the positive impact our support provides.
Think about your background, experience and skills as well as what you enjoy doing. What services do you feel confident and competent in?
You may have heard many coaches talk about finding a niche. Don’t get too hung up about this. Unless you’re targeting the legal / medical sector my recommendation is to make your services your niche because narrowing down to an industry, like health and wellness for example, can really limit your ability to find clients. I explain more in my video on How to Niche as a Virtual Assistant here.
Some popular VA services include:
- Email and diary management
- Social media support
- Graphics creation
- Bookkeeping
But that’s really just a very small few. For the full list, download my free guide 90+ Services VAs Can Offer.
You could specialise in delivering these services for a specific industry or sector, but be careful not to limit your audience and end up putting people off. If you market yourself as working with coaches, this could make tech companies, for example, think you won’t work with them.
Also consider the potential client’s own income. Is that coffee shop on the high street really going to be able to pay £500 a month for social media support?
Being specific about what you do makes it easier for potential clients to identify with you and for your connections to refer you to people within their network. As a bonus, you’re exercising the freedom to choose what tasks you do and who you work with!
Building a Strong VA Profile
Once you have clarified what you do and perhaps who you do it for, the next step in the process of landing VA clients is to write a strong profile. Wherever you end up promoting your services, Facebook groups, LinkedIn or even your own website, potential clients will want to know a little bit about you. This is your chance to impress and demonstrate why you are a perfect match for your VA clients.
The key is to create a profile that is professional, comprehensive and persuasive. So make sure you include:
- An attention-grabbing opening line to make your profile stand out
- A description of the services you offer as a VA
- A description of the kind of clients you work with and why
- A summary of your background, qualifications and previous work experience if relevant
- A final line encouraging them to get in contact with you – a call to action
A VA profile is a living document that will grow with your business so don’t overthink it, just get it out there. We can change it at any time. Regularly update your profile with new projects, testimonials and achievements. That’s vital evidence for why potential clients should choose you.
How to Find Clients as a Virtual Assistant
With the foundation of your virtual assistant business set, you can look into how to find virtual assistant clients. In the online world, there are various ways to attract VA clients. The main thing is to be visible so your ideal clients can find you, get to know you and, when they’re ready, choose you as their VA. Sadly, they’re not looking for you, so we need to guide them to see us through content, SEO and other forms of marketing.
That means knowing where to find virtual assistant clients so you can show up where they are spending time. These are the 3 main places where you’ll come across potential clients.
Direct outreach
As I’ve said, your future clients aren’t actively searching for you so you need to go out of your way to get in front of them and let them know what a positive impact you make through your services. Directly reach out to potential clients via email. That’s how I left my full time job in just 3 months! I don’t mean cold emails. I trained in persuasive language so I wrote emails that actually got opened and replied to. You can find templates for emails that convert which are based on the emails I sent to get my first clients in the VA Starter Guide.
Networking and Referrals
Building a strong network of business connections will pay off in the long run. Whether you go to a local in-person group or attend networking events online, you can build relationships with fellow business owners. As they get to know you, they’ll trust you to be their VA or they’ll refer you to their connections who are looking for support. Not everyone enjoys networking, myself included, so don’t worry if this just isn’t your thing.
Social Media and Online Communities
Establishing a strong social media presence is another great way to get in front of potential clients and highlight why you are the right VA for them. Whether posting on your own social media account or posting in business Facebook Groups, one of the biggest mistakes I see new VAs make is starting every paragraph of their content with ‘I’ and making it all about themselves.
Your message needs to be about your clients. Potential clients don’t want to know what their investment in a VA will do for you but what it’ll do for them. Focus on how they would benefit from working with you. I go into more detail about getting clients from Facebook Groups in my VA Starter Guide.
Landing Your First Client
When talking to VAs about how to get virtual assistant clients, I find they often worry about not having much of a portfolio to prove their skills and reliability. In that case, I do have some top tips for how to get your first client, as in your very first client.
Tell friends and family
Don’t keep your new business venture a secret from your friends and family! They already know and trust you so they are your best supporters. If they are keeping an eye out for people who might need a VA, they are able to vouch for you and the person they recommend you to is more likely to give you a shot.
You never know who they might know, so don’t dismiss anyone. Not even Uncle John who hasn’t worked for three years due to a bad knee! I know plenty of VAs whose first clients were friends or family members. I’ve got a template for how to let your friends and family know about your VA business in my VA Starter Guide.
Contact old colleagues and employers
Along the same vein, people you used to work with already know and trust you so it’s worth reaching out to them too. They know you’ve worked together well before and are able to produce results. It’s much less of a risk than choosing a VA who’s completely new to them. Spread the word about what you’re doing throughout your network so everyone has you top of mind when it comes to the type of service you provide.
Market yourself consistently
It takes patience, persistence and professionalism to build a successful VA business. So don’t be afraid to keep mentioning what you do on social media, at networking events and whenever you have an opportunity. There are businesses that can really benefit from what you do. They just need to find you and have confidence in you to be able to choose you.
You can reach out over email to local or even national businesses who you would like to work with. You never know who could be in need of a VA when the email pops into their inbox. Make sure to follow up on proposals so as to not lose a good lead to a disorganised inbox or forgetfulness. I’ve got templates for these types of emails in the VA Starter Guide too.
Nurturing Client Relationships
The pressure of figuring out how to get clients as a virtual assistant is eased when you are receiving repeat business from clients already on your books. If you don’t want to end up chasing new clients (and money), take the time and effort to nurture your client relationships. They could even turn into your best source of referrals. One of my clients was responsible for a further three as a direct result of him singing my praises.
A good relationship is built through effective communication. Keep in regular contact with them and clarify anything you’re unsure about, especially at the beginning when you are getting to know their business. Exceed client expectations to show how committed you are to their business and their success. Handle feedback professionally and use it as an opportunity to improve your services. I’d recommend regularly asking for and acting upon feedback to ensure you are doing the best job possible for each client.
My best piece of advice is to keep an open mind. You never know where your first (or next) VA client could come from – a job board, Facebook, LinkedIn, the person that looked bored by your pitch at networking or the neighbour you chatted to in line at the post office. It could be completely unexpected so never dismiss anyone. A little persistence can go a long way. There’s no time like the present to start implementing these strategies and land your first client. You can always refer back to the VA Starter guide (described as ‘priceless’ in one review) for extra support.